Process of manufacturing chain-links.



H. H0 7] SON PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CHAIN LINKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE30,1908.

Patented May 30, 1911.

affai H. HOWSON.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING CHAIN LINKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE30,1908.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 1 77/ Viki/TM; I

Patented May 30, 1911.

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HENRY HOWSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO LINK-BELT COM-PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORA-TION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.latented May adieu.

Application filed June so, 1903. serial No. 441,148.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HENRY HoWsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Processes of Manufacturing Chain-Links, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the process. ofmanufacturing chain links and particularly of the type in which. thelinks are detachably connected one to another.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of such alink, to cheapen its manufacture and to make it much more substantialthan heretofore.

In a divisional application, filed January 29, 1909, Serial No. 474,978,I claim a link that may be made by my improved process, the presentapplication being limited to the process of manufacturing a link.

This object I attain in the following manner, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a perspective View of thepreferred form of my improved link; Fig. 2, is a view of a section ofthe blank from which the link is made; Fig. 3, is a view showing theupsetting process by which the ends of the blank are thickened andshaped; Fig. d, shows the first step in bending the link into form; Fig.5, shows the link bent into form; Fig. 6, shows the completed link withthe bearing plate secured thereto; Fig. 7, is a longitudinal sectionalview of the link shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8, is a. plan view showing aseries of links enchained; Fig. 9, is a longitudinal sectional view onthe line 9-9, Fig. 8; Fig. 10, is a view showing a link bent into shapeand welded without the bearing plate; Fig. 11, shows a view ofthelinkbent into shape and the two ends of the blank held by a transverserivet; Figs. 12 and 13, are views of modifications of the linkillustrated in Fig. 6; Fig. 14, is a view of a different form of link;Figs. 15 and 16, show another method of making the link; Fig. 17, is aview showing the face of a tooth or" a sprocket wheel made to conform tothe shape of the bearing portion of the link; Fig. 18 is a view showingthe link with a reinforced hooked member made in accordance with myinvention; Fig.- 19, is a view or" a modification of the blank afterhaving its ends upset; and Fig. 20, is a view of another modificationshowing .a flat blank.

By my invention I am enabled to manufacture a chain link' from a rolledrod cut in lengths and shaped, and the two ends of the rod after beingbent are secured together in any suitable manner, preferably by,electric welding, although the parts may be secured together by ordinarymethods of Welding, or in some'cases they may be simply abutted withoutwelding, relying upon the rigidity of the material from which the linkis made to hold the ends together.

There will be very little tendency for the ends of the links to spreadapart, as the hooked end of one link is confined by the side members atthe bar end of an adjoining link.

Referring inthe first instance to Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, A is a linkhaving a cross bar a, side members a and a hooked portion B. The socketb in the hooked portion is of such a size as to accommodatea cross bar aof an adjoining link. This is the ordinary type of what is known as adetachable chain link; Heretofore the usual practice has been to makethis chain of malleable iron, but by my improved process the chain canbe made of shaped bars, preferably first rolled into proper shape, thenthe ends are 1npeget and the bar is finally bent to form the Ipreferably form the bar, from which the link is made, as shown in Fig.2, in which I is the bar having a thick portion a on each side of whichare thinner portions i and on the extreme ends thick portions 25 Thisillustrates one section of the bar which is madein any length desiredand the sections multiplied. The bar can be readily formed by rolling.

in Fig. 2 of the drawings the bar is shown round in order to provide around bar to the socket, the other portions of the har may be madesquare or otherwise shaped according to the particular design of linkdesired and the size of the link, as the cross section of the membersof'the bar will depend considerably upon the size of the link and thestrength desired. If the bar is made by rolling itis cut in the iengthillustratedsin Fig. 2.

been formed. The portion 7; of the blank.

forms the bar a of the link-and when the bar is bent on the line 00+w,Fig.3, the portions a" form the side members a of the link and theportions 71 form the hooked member B. When the'bar is bent on the linew-w, Fig. 3, it assumes the shape shown in Fig. 4, and when the bend iscontinued it assumes the shape shown in Fig. 6, the portions Z) abuttingon the line y. y

In order to provide a suitable bearing for the teeth of the sprocketwheel, I preferably secure a bearing plate D to the surface d, d of theportions Z) and this block is preferably secured by electric welding.The back of the block is rounded or shaped, as shown .in Fig. 7, so asto form a proper bearing for the teeth of the sprocket wheel.

It will be noticed that the line of weld is in such a position that ifwelded by the flat process any fins formed by welding will be formed inplaces which will not contact with the teeth nor interfere with theworking of the bar in the socket and can be readily re- Iipoved by theordinary method of removing In some instances the link may be made asshown in Fig. 5, without the ends being secured together, as the endswill be prevented from spreading, as shown in Fig. 8, by the side bars aof an adjoining link, if there is any tendency to spread, but in ordertoprevent any spreading I preferably secure. the ends together, eitheras shown in Fig. 6 by a bearing bar D, or the parts may be welded on theline y as shown in Fig. 10, this line being in the direction of thestrain of the link and consequently there is no tendency to part theweld and even an im erfect weld will hold the parts together.

11 Fig. 11, I have shown a transverse rivet e holding the ends of thelink together, while in Fig. 12, I have shown a bearing block D beveledin opposite directions engaging the beveled portions d of the endsections 6.

In Fig. 13, I have shown a bearing block D having projections enteringrecesses d in the portions 1).

In Fig. 17 I have shown the bearing portions of the link curved orshaped so as to fit a curved or shaped tooth M of a sprocket wheel, sothat when pressureis applied the tendency of the parts will be to movetoward one another. In this typeof link it is not necessary to fastenthe two ends together.

In Fig. 14, I have shown alink in which the hooked end is reduced inwidth, the bend quadrangular body portion, and in this fig-' ure theblank is shown bentinto shape but the ends are not bent into hookedform; while Fig. 16 shows the ends bent to form the hook.

Fig. 18 shows the hooked member B provided with reinforcing ribs 12which add to the strength of said hook member.

It will be understood that the blank may be made either from a roundbar, as shown in Fig. 2, or from a flat bar as shown in Fig. 20,. or anyother shape in cross section, depending upon the size of the link andthe strength required.

In Fig. 20, I haveshown a blank made from a plate which may be bent intoshape such a width as to enter the space between the side members of anadjoining link, conse quently the side bar is inclined from the bar tothe hooked member and the double bend at the hook is thus avoided.

In shaping a blank, as shown in Fig. 3, the lines 0@ are at an angle tothe center line through the bar, as is also the line 'v--'v of theabutting end of the enlargement, but when the bar is bent into shape, asshown in Fig. 5, the lines 'v-o are parallel to the center line of thebar a: and the line 'v+ v' is at right angles to the bar.

'I cla1m: I 1. The process herein described of manufacturing an openlink, said process consisting in providing a bar of the proper length,upsetting the ends of the bar, shaping the ends to form hooked membersand bending the bar on each side of the center to form a cross bar andsidemembers, with the hooked meiinbers abutting to form the socket ofthe lin 2. The process herein described of manufacturing an openlink,said process consisting in forming an enlargement on each end of thebar, upsetting the ends to form hooked members and bending the a bar toform an open link with the hooked members abutting.

3. The process herein described of manufacturing an open link, saidprocess consist- 993,997 I at ing the abutting hooked members to form asolid socket.

4. The process of manufacturing an open link having a hook at one end,said process consisting in forming a bar with an enlargement at each endset at an angle with respect to the longitudinal line of the bar,shaping the enlargements to form hooked members, bending the bar at eachside of the center and bringing the enlargements together, making a linkin which the cross bar and the hooked portion are parallel, while theside bars are at an angle one to the other, so that the link will bewider at the bar end than at the hook end. I

5. The process herein described of manufacturing an open chain link,said process consisting in forming an enlargement at one side of the barat each end thereof, shaping the enlargements to form hooked members,bending the bar at each side of the center so as to make an open linkwith the projections abutting, and connecting the two abuttingprojections-by a bearing plate.

6. The process herein described of manufacturing an open chain link,said process consisting in forming an enlargement on one side of the barat each end thereof, shaping the enlargements to form hooked members,bending the bar at each side of the center so as to make an open linkwith the projections abutting, and connecting the two abuttingprojections by a bearing plate extending from one side member of thelink to the other, said plate interlocking with the projecting portions.y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY HOWSON.

Witnesses:

Jos. H. KLEIN, WM. A. BARR.

